BYD's Australian distributor, EVDirect, has launched its long-awaited first mass market EV, the Atto 3 with a headline price of $44,381 plus on road costs.
Key points
BYD via its local distributor EVDirect releases its first EV Atto 3 in Australia
The starting price is $44,381 plus ORC’s
The first products arrive in July this year
The Atto 3 comes with a 7 Year warranty
Two variants available, with up to 420km range
The company has no dealerships and all transactions are online, deliveries and servicing are via MyCar services centres nationally.
The Atto 3, known as the Yuan Plus in China is a front-wheel-drive compact SUV and will go into battle with its Chinese compatriot, the MG ZS EV, currently in the process of getting a facelift, range boost, and significant specification improvement.
With a single 150kW/310Nm electric motor up front, the Atto 3 will accelerate to 100km/h in a claimed 7.3 seconds BYD's Blade battery powers both versions. The 50kWh has a WLTP ( Worldwide light vehicle test procedure ) range of 320 kilometres and the 60kWh 420km, with NEDC ( New Europe Driving Cycle ) figures coming out 20 percent higher. The battery is charged via AC and DC charging ports with 3 phase charging capability and 220v emergency charging cable. BYD is stating it takes approximately 90 minutes charge time with Super Charger DC MAX (80kw).
Some of the safety features are, 7 SRS airbags - front, front side, full length curtain, and driver's passenger side airbags, ISOFIX child restraint anchorage points (outer rear seats) Automatic emergency braking system with front and rear collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert & forward and reverse collision warning.
The first 1500 right-hand-drive examples of the 2022 BYD Atto 3 are claimed to arrive in Australia in July, with the local distributor claiming up to 15,000 vehicles can be produced each year.
The company has no dealerships, all transactions are online with deliveries and servicing performed via MyCar services centres (formerly Kmart Tyre and Auto).
2022 BYD Atto 3 Australian pricing
Atto 3 Superior Standard Range – $44,381
Atto 3 Superior Extended Range – $47,381
Note: All prices above are before on-road costs
2022 BYD Atto 3 Superior standard features:
12.8-inch rotating infotainment touchscreen with Bluetooth and digital radio
5.0-inch digital instrument display
Power-adjustable front seats
Faux leather upholstery
Power tailgate
Wireless phone charging
Eight-speaker Dirac sound system
Keyless entry and start
Panoramic sunroof
18-inch alloy wheels
Power-adjustable side mirrors with heating
Roof rails
60:40 split-folding rear seats
Type 2 AC three-phase charging capabilities
DC fast charging
Autonomous emergency braking
Adaptive cruise control
Lane-keep assist
Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert
Forward and reverse collision warning
EV101’s take;
This is just the start of the Chinese EV products hitting our land Downunder, let’s see if BYD via the local distributor has hit the mark with pricing and with its partnership with Mycar. Whilst the initial style lines and features will appeal to the Australian market, it would appear the Atto 3 is priced higher than anticipated for the following points;
Chinese battery manufacturing costs are considered to be the lowest globally.
Substantially lower labour costs in China.
Due to EVs emitting zero emissions, no emissions development R&D required for local markets.
High margins for the local distributor due to selling direct and not via a franchised dealer network.
Substantially lower service network setup and ongoing costs.
It appears that EVDirect has strategically utilised the lowest priced EV currently in Australia which is the MG ZS EV that has an established dealer network for its pricing on the Atto 3. One would hope EVDirect negotiated a good product wholesale price that would have the competition running for cover and utilised its local distribution model to hit the ground running. So let’s see if this is the case, no doubt, only time will tell if this was a missed opportunity or not.
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